Up to 3.2 million people have been temporarily displaced inside Iran as the conflict intensifies, the UNHCR said.
Preliminary assessments show between 600,000 and 1 million Iranian households have left their homes, many fleeing Tehran and other major cities for northern and rural areas.
The agency said the number could rise as hostilities continue and warned that refugee families in Iran, many from Afghanistan, were also increasingly vulnerable.
Israel said on Thursday it struck another Iranian compound used for nuclear weapons development in Tehran.
The Israeli military said the Taleghan compound was used to advance critical capabilities for developing nuclear weapons.
According to the IDF, the compound had in recent years been used to develop advanced explosives and carry out sensitive experiments linked to the AMAD project, Iran’s covert nuclear weapons development program in the 2000s.
The military said it had recently identified efforts by Iran to rehabilitate the site after it was struck in October 2024. It said the latest attack was part of a broader campaign targeting infrastructure and knowledge centers tied to Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s armed forces are facing acute supply shortages, rising desertions and deepening friction between the regular army (Artesh) and the Revolutionary Guards, according to informed sources who described a military system under growing strain as the war intensifies.
Among the most serious allegations are reports that wounded army personnel have been denied assistance by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that some frontline units are operating with minimal ammunition, food and drinking water, and that attempts to mobilize reserve forces have faltered.
Tensions between army and Revolutionary Guards
One of the sharpest points of friction appears to involve medical support for wounded soldiers.
Sources said that regular army units are suffering significant casualties but that IRGC personnel have refused to transport injured army soldiers to hospitals despite having access to medical facilities.
According to the sources, Revolutionary Guards officials rejected repeated army requests for assistance, citing shortages of ambulances and blood supplies.
The refusals have deepened anger and resentment between personnel from the two forces, adding to long-standing institutional tensions between the regular army (Artesh) and the IRGC.
Frontline shortages
The reported tensions come alongside severe shortages affecting some frontline and field units of the Iranian army.
Sources described worsening logistical conditions that have left troops struggling with limited ammunition and inadequate basic supplies.
In one example cited by the sources, some units were issued only 20 bullets for every two Artesh soldiers, leaving troops with little capacity to respond to potential attacks.
Field units in several areas are also said to be operating without reliable access to drinking water or sufficient food supplies.
The harsh conditions and what some soldiers perceive as neglect by commanders have contributed to what sources described as group desertions, with soldiers leaving bases and seeking refuge in nearby towns.
Strain extends to IRGC units
The strain is not limited to the regular army, according to the sources.
Even within IRGC missile units – traditionally among the best resourced parts of Iran’s military – there have been reports of communications equipment failures and shortages of food and other basic supplies.
Despite these problems, the sources said the command structure appears to be prioritizing the delivery of technical components needed to keep missile systems operational, rather than sending additional food rations or individual equipment to personnel.
The accounts suggest commanders are focusing on maintaining strategic weapons capabilities while troops face deteriorating living conditions.
Reserve mobilization falters
Efforts to widen the manpower pool appear to have run into resistance as well.
Sources said attempts by the Revolutionary Guards to mobilize reserve forces earlier this week produced limited results.
Many of those summoned for service reportedly did not report to military centers. Instead, some individuals used the situation to leave their areas and assist family members in moving toward border regions in hopes of leaving the country.
Iran’s parliament speaker warned on Thursday that Tehran would abandon all restraint if its islands were attacked.
“Any aggression against soil of Iranian islands will shatter all restraint. We will abandon all restraint and make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X.
He added that US President Donald Trump would be to blame for “the blood of American soldiers” in the region.
The Revolutionary Guards said one of its naval units struck a tanker in the Persian Gulf after it ignored warnings.
The Guards said the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Safesea Vishnu was hit in the northern Persian Gulf after failing to comply with orders.
“The vessel was targeted after it ignored warnings and alerts from the IRGC navy,” the Guards said in a statement carried by state media.
Separately, port officials said fuel tankers Safesea Vishnu and the Maltese-flagged Zefyros were attacked in the Persian Gulf near Iraq, prompting Iraq’s oil ports to halt operations. One port security official said the body of a foreign crew member was recovered from the water.
